THRIVING engineering group Tanfield has boosted its employment levels to more than 200 just six months after it was established.

The Tanfield Lea, near Stanley, based business was formed at the turn of the year by bringing together the operations of components supplier Express 2 Automotive (E2A) and metal fabrication company HMH.

E2A was originally bought out of Express Engineering last September by its management team, a deal followed in December by the acquisition of HMH.

Under the new structure, the group management team is headed by Roy Stanley as chief executive, with Dave Ward as managing director of E2A and Mike Wright as managing director of HMH.

The combined turnover of the two companies has risen from £3.5m to £10.5m in two years, with more than 60 new jobs created in the last nine months.

Additional investment is already planned which could see another 50 jobs being created.

E2A specialises in the manufacture of precision-engineered components and has been highly successful in providing niche volume products in high growth areas of the automotive market.

Among the contracts secured is the supply of parts for the Landrover Discovery.

HMH is a sub-contract manufacturer of sheet metal fabrications and engineering products and has recently secured major orders from the heating, rail, construction and defence sectors.

Mr Stanley said: "We believe that E2A and HMH together provide the basis for a world-class engineering business with excellent prospects for growth.

"Both companies have been successful in winning significant new orders and negotiations on a number of exciting new products are ongoing."